Thanks to a hat-trick in the first half against Almeria on Saturday for the 32nd matchday of La Liga, French centre-forward Karim Benzema overtook Mexico's Hugo Sanchez (234 goals) and became the fourth top scorer in the history of the Spanish league.

The 2022 Ballon d'Or winner received two five-star serves, first by Vinicius (5th), then by Rodrygo (17th), then sealed his hat-trick with a penalty (41st) to get closer to the podium of Spain's top scorers.

Messi and Ronaldo out of reach

Benzema, who now has 236 goals in La Liga, can still hope to join Athletic Bilbao's historic centre-forward Telmo Zarra (253 goals) before his retirement to join the top 3 of this ranking.

The top two spots, occupied by Lionel Messi (473 goals) and Cristiano Ronaldo (311 goals), seem out of reach. Benzema is the only footballer still active in Spain to finish in the top 15 of La Liga's top scorers. Antoine Griezmann, who plays for Atlético Madrid, is 17th with 170 goals.

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